holidays, days of holy sickies

unfortunately, both alasdair and myself weren't feeling super hot over christmas. bummer. the fortunate part: we were alone. yet, another bummer.
HEY! really, i don't mean to exude such a downer mode---it was great, actually, and oh so so so snowy. christmas day we had plans to meet up with friends, eat, be merry, all that. our plans were smothered due to 32 inches. of. snow. falling down. on the ground. outside.
and wind. a lot of wind. road closures and stuck plows made for a lovely day indoors. instead of dealing with the storm, we pulled out the trusty 'ol couch bed in the living room and kicked it, family style.
a photo:

and, photos of alasdair opening some gifts... eying gifts.... fixing gifts... creating more gifts.




the gift that we've been most excited about giving him was a flop. he's terrified of it. brobee is a no go, not even yet. there's a show on noggin called 'yo gabba gabba.' it rocks. really---yes, there are some funky looking characters (some may even say a tad bit like telle tubbies)... but they're nothing like those creepy tellies. these guys actually speak. they enunciate. no baby business. and, most importantly, it's all about music. they always sing and have artists on the show to dance, etc. it's great. there's a character named brobee. the partier. so, we got alasdair a mini-brobree. about a foot tall. and when you press a button on his foot, he flails his arms and sings and all that.
well, as i said: horrified. terrified. poor guy. he looks at brobee, then at me and says "no, no, no... hold'choo," which means 'hold me.'
oh well. here he is... the show down.

osha has been doing this for a while now---"i can't hear you." that whole deal. so, when he does it we fake talk, then start talking when he pulls his hands down. so funny. in the car the other day i knew he was doing it, so i said "osh, can you hear me?" immediately he said "no." silly boy.

and there i am (desperately tired and), packing on 'dem "ell bees"... now's the time, if ever :)
so, without much detail, that was our christmas. spent together. it was wonderful.

our new, most exciting news: WE'RE OFF TO NASHVILLE AND CHARLOTTE come february. for a visit. a mama visit---12 days split between ben's mama and mine. ah, so happy.

the good times

it's things like this that make my day.
wandering around the corner, into the kitchen, to find evidence of alasdair's latest "project."
so cute. I'm sure he was sooooo excited about it, too.

grapes in the bowl, transferred to a mini-bowl, and back.

had to...

in case you didn't know what santa looked like as a baby (at 10 weeks, to be exact):

lately

lately,
inkpony is progressing, making sales, growing
snow is in flurries while we sit back and wish for feet
alasdair is copying, even words from the radio
...and expressing interest in going 'pee-pee'
the little lady is growing and expanding my ligaments, causing some pain
koia is basking in the snow's cold nature
morley is merely standing beside her
red is loving a new life indoors

and, ben and I, we are happily once again enjoying (almost) a full night's sleep

yes, after 17 months, alasdair has finally decided that sleeping through the night is beneficial for us all. some said it would take time. it has, it did, and the memories of sleepless nights are blurry now---thank you, little man. sleeping through the night also indicates a major drop in nursing, which rocks because these days it's more of a joke than anything, anyway. we're down to about one nursing 'session' a day--in the evening, in the bed. it's been a vvVerrrRRy gradual transition.

I never reported that when we had the ultrasound all was quite well with the girl. she's developing, as they do, and the doc there said that we're "officially" due on the 21st of april... as opposed to my "self-diagnosed" date of april 29. like the 9s, you know. so, that puts us around the 24th, again. I wouldn't go for any earilier, as alasdair was 15 days late and that wait was almost painful. just cause I was so eager.

well, the boy woke up a while ago---time to get. get on now, get. to the making of breakfast I go.
some photos... she and he. aye, a scratch, though not from a dog---thank goodness. they'd be out in the snow for good.
20 weeks.

very exciting!!!

we were "featured" on an "Etsy Item of the Day" blog...
check it out: http://etsyitemoftheday.com/airplane-onesie/

already prepping the wardrobe...

tights, dresses + little tomboyish goods it is, cause a little lady is on the way!!!

come on...

if this doesn't make me eager to have another baby, I really don't know what else would...
chunky mcChunk at 4 1/2 months.

trying not to.

that's what today is about. trying not to count down the hours....
right now we're nearing 21.
ah! doing it.

yes, folks, a mere TWENTY ONE hours until we find out if I'll be busting out the sewing machine for sun-dresses, or rummaging through alasdair's trucks and tools in search of boyish baby goods.
21 hours and we will know. boy? girl? what do yoU say? post your guesses, your guts, please.
I'm interested. in the beginning I hoped, dreamed, plead for a girl. now I find myself doing the same for a boy. brothers--can't get much better than that. then again, I'm the fortunate sister and other half of one of the greatest friendships of all time: jonas and myself.
whatever you are, little, active bean... I can hardly wait.

happy belated day of turkeys and feasts to all. we celebrated twice this year. how fortunate. once with the osterhouts and another 20. it was glorious. so much food. so much fun. we arrived around 4 and alasdair partied well into the night---passing out as soon as he hit the car seat around midnight. sweet thing. he was all love and smiles. photos from that event:
ajna + alasdair, lovers.
ajna + papa luke.
aunt sabre, osha and papa.
osha + luke, or--as he says, "hook."


that was saturday past. the 22nd. following that feast, we recovered, then did it all over again on thanksgiving. mmmmm. the line-up: a TWENTY pound turkey (for ben, myself, alasdair... erica, luke, ajna... and luke's brother, paul. that's SIX adults, TWENTY pounds of turkey. want to know the truth? it's almost gone. gross.), southern cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, sage-infused mashed potatoes, TWO pumpkin pies (plus a mini, for ben) and a cherry pie. we even forgot to make the ham. good thing. wow. a feast it was. good times. we ate at four. and ate again later. and again. and a big 'ol breakfast pie in the morning. yum.
photos from that night...
ben, osha + ajna.
the playing of la musica.
ajna, in all her sweetness. she's alasdair's lover-girl. he likes the young ones. she's now 10 months and an absolute doll. he calls for her, "ah-na, ah-na."
yep. he took the king's seat. all night.
the family, of sorts: luke, ajna, erica and alasdair.
and, the 'other family'... osha, papa, ajna and myself.
the red-eye osh.
um. sorry to almost end on this one. I think erica asked us to "look hard." hmmm... appears only ben got that one.
brothers: luke and paul. the band: castor and pollution. their t-shirts are results of my screenprinting venture for the day. a design burnt + printed for them to sell at shows.

we were without immediate family. always wish family were around. but it was great, regardless.

doing it, again

cause we've posted a lot more... with a lot, lot more to come.

www.inkpony.etsy.com

shameless, i know

WE MADE OUR FIRST SALE!!!
on etsy. to a "real" customer... not family-based.
i know how silly that may sound, but it's a huge deal to me. a really big deal. especially because we've been busy and have only been able to post five items (now down to 4!).

anyway. hooray. and, because we just got in the sweetest organic toddler tees i've ever felt/seen/touched/loved-on, i'm self-promoting, yet again.

with photos posted here, so you don't even have to navigate through the etsy site.
some of our offerings: (all $15)







just in time...
erica (an inkpony, too) just sent out this email and i think it describes our business venture really well.

here 'tis:

Hello to all of you,

Inkpony is here! For those of you not familiar with Inkpony let me catch you up to speed...

Inkpony began as a little seed...a spark really...a seemingly far away idea...and has finally grown into fruition as a little company. It is piloted by 3 women (myself, julianna, and anne) seperated by 1000 miles. We have managed to bridge the gap between ourselves using internet, snail mail, and a little creativity, and bring you our unique product. Our goal is to be as friendly to the earth as possible so that you can feel good about what you're buying and so that we as a company can feel good about our environmental footprint.

Right now we are screenprinting 100% cotton onesies and toddler t-shirts. The fabric is organically dyed, and our screen printing inks are non-toxic and lead free. Every 'piece' is unique...we have not made any 2 the same. We make our own screens using scrap material, recycled picture frames, and remnant cloth, and we produce all of our own designs. We will soon be adding screenprinted(on recycled paper) cards/invitations, rag quilts and bags, plush dolls and maternity wear.

Our official website (www.inkpony.com) is under construction so please refer to our etsy site for the time being at www.inkpony.etsy.com and you can view and purchase from there. We love custom orders so please let us know if you have a specific request.

Up to this point we have been mostly word of mouth...we have just begun with this site and are in the midst of production of new images so be patient with us as we post our items. Remember...every item is completely original when it comes to clothing color, design, and design color. You will see some similar pieces, but no 2 are exactly the same. We hope you will check in with us for purchases for 'little ones' and check back w/ us as the holiday season approaches for our new website and new items.

Much love to all of you,

Erica

... and, much love to all of you, too. ju.

booty giraffe

halloween rocks. my favorite holiday, though---admittedly---i've slacked in the past couple of years. lame costumes. no candy. little celebration. oh well.
having a child is the best excuse/reason to get back into it. this year we spent the day on main street. every year they shut down main and everyone comes out in costume---kids everywhere---dogs everywhere--costumed adults, everywhere. all of the shops pass out candy. good times. this year alasdair was a giraffe. a big-bootied + bellied giraffe at that. so cute.
as for ben and i, we weren't so cute. necessarily.
in fact, i'm not so sure what we were. but, at least we gave the dressing up bit a shot. shabby as it was.








in pregnancy days: this pregnancy remains surreal.
i thought it was setting in. it was setting in--during the days of nausea and discomfort. but the constant reminder leaves me now that i'm feeling near great again. (still tired, though that's part of me, anyway.) so eager to see this babe and alasdair interact. so eager to see this babe at all. to know if it's a boy or girl---THREE weeks!!!

cousins + animals

as posted, ben, alasdair and i recently spent about 5 days in boise. good days. really good days. no rush. lots of dawson's. excellent food. and the stellar company of family.
as imagined, stella is getting soooo big. she's caught up with alasdair in weight and quickly gaining in height, too. i wish we get could them together daily. check out their photos:


this one merits comment: titled, "high school dance"
stella is a mover. a hip-circler, booty dropper. and aside her stands my sweetness. arms directed down, moving stiffly side to side. i thought i'd taken video of it, but somehow: no. bummer.



and, a recent video. he was actually testing my skills to see how quickly i could come up with animals... i failed.

breaking news...

that we've been holding back for a good two months (as not to spoil the seeing + telling people 'in person' bit):
i'm pregnant!!!
there you have it. about 13 weeks along, and sososo psyched i can hardly stand myself.
all very exciting, indeed.
steph + dave, i've been most eager to share the news with you two, even though our babes will be a bit further apart this time.

yay. pregnant.
alasdair already touches my protruding belly (yes, even looking pregnant at 13 weeks) and says "bah-bee."
they'll be 22 months apart. just right. that's how things seem to happen lately, just right.

alright, five days

busted. i committed to the 'three-day-posting-gig' a little prematurely. so, here's my bit at five days. better than 30.
it's snowing today. lovely and beautiful. news of us: we're all sick. whip. crazy how quickly sickness tears through a family of three. alasdair on day one, papa nearing the end of day one and mama on day two. fortunately, i think we're all winding down. seeing alasdair sick makes me so sad, as any mother and/or father knows. it's terrible. and the night-time fever. the heat glow around their poor little body.
he sleeps now. sweet thing.
and, of course, along with fever comes the dazey state. alasdair, so kooky. he mumbles, which isn't uncommon, but moreso. he wanders and smiles and calls out for koia and red, the cat. he woke this morning to the sound of my stomach digesting. it must have sounded like a meow, cause immediately he sat up and said, "red. killy--kitly---killy." tongue protruding. so cute.
we got a new truck!!!! a new work truck, i should say. ben's been driving around an old-school duely for the past year. terribly sketchy. so much money has gone into that truck... for what? anyway, it was past due time for the caketaker, ben, to get a new ride. they made one stop and ended up with a 2008 chevy silverado extended cab long-bed. white. amazing deal: from $33,000 to $23,0000.
think they were hurting? geeze.
it's so nice to have a truck we can all ride in.

... off to boise next week. wednesday or thursday. i can hardly wait.

snow, on the ground

not much, granted, but it is certainly white outside. and lovely. i can't believe those 7 months of snowmobiling blumbers and bliss are once again knocking on our door. always seems to arrive just in time. the cold creeps in just as the heat starts to wear on me. nicely done, weather, seasons... nicely done.

well, i've been busy. hence, no writing---a bad blogger am i. apologies. i swear, it's the thought of writing it all down in one sitting that keeps me away (I SAY THIS EVERYTIME). so, from here on out i'll write something, even a sentence, at least every three days. there. done. hold me to it, please.

our updates: many, but i'll list the few. first, a shameless plug: check out that new wolf-man square that reads "etsy" to your right there. yeah. if you click on that, you'll end up at a fabulous site of all things handmade from people across the world. fair prices (usually) and really unique stuff. a friend and i are trying our hands at it. once on the site, look at the scroll-bar up top, click on "usernames" and then enter: inkpony---that's us. though currently we have only three items listed, and all onesies, we're eager to add new stuff. we're attempting to keep all clothing organic, and all other products (rag-quilt blankets, plush dolls/hammers/tools, cards, etc.) eco-conscious (remnant and or recycled material when possible). we'll add stuff soon and frequently.
check it out.

now, for alasdair. the love that we love. i swear he's coming up on six here soon. ha.
no, it's just crazy how much these little people learn during their second year. words, everyday a new word, or so it seems. gestures. identifying and categorizing. learning how to crawl into small spaces. humor.
ah.... and it must be said, learning how to deal with his impatience. HOLY. i think he got that from me. for instance: he's on his john deere (little pushy toy), cruising around, through the kitchen, next to the couch and then i hear screaming. then the slamming of something somewhat large. i look: it's the john deere, as he's attempting for forcefully push it through a space that is far too narrow.
he'll force it though. and scream.

wow. he gets pissed. immediately. so, we're working on the phrase "help, please." it has definitely helped. that way, when he's really upset that something won't budge (a cord he wants may be wrapped around the chair and caught on a toy-----yes, i just admitted that i let him play with cords), he'll shout, i'll appear and he calms and says "elp."
much nicer.

growing, growing up--all except for the nursing, we've back-tracked. he's once again up to eating 6 times a night. WHIP. molars, baby. they're killing me.

here's the boy now: smiley + sneaky.



ben and i are great. the season (girl scouts) is finally over. we thought we'd be celebrating those words about a month and a half ago, but weekend guests and events kept slugging in. it's over now. i can say with confidence. so, i have ben at home once again. he's going to take on building/creating/designing our website, for practice during the winter season.

off to boise here in a few weeks, and i can hardly wait. truly. i feel like i've been away from home, home and family for a year.
maybe because i miss my mom so much. wow. she's been away for 1/3 of her mission. 6 months. already, i should say. we just need to get out there. charlotte, north carolina: we'll see you soon.

enjoy your day(s).